1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a cable clamp and, more particularly, to an adjustable two-part clamp for aligning and retaining a plurality of cables in a planar arrangement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In telephone system cabling applications, particularly those associated with the main distribution frame, efficient cable management and routing techniques, as well as accompanying apparatus, are required to effectively utilize the space allocated to the numerous multipair cables. The cables typically originate from and thereafter terminate at a myriad of spaced-apart locations. To mitigate crisscrossing of bulky cables and avoid cumbersome pileups, a number of prior art routing techniques, with accompanying hardware, have been devised.
One early solution to avoid pileups was that of providing individual cable racks to align the cables in generally side-by-side fashion in a single layer. Additional racks utilized in a spaced-apart, stacked relation increased cabling capability. One obvious shortcoming of such an arrangement is the inefficient utilization of central office space. Another deficiency is the fixed location of the racking apparatus which is inflexible and unnecessarily increases the lengths of cable runs.
The latest of the conventional racking arrangements is a modified version of the earlier arrangement and, therefore, possesses all the inherent shortcomings as discussed above. With this modified version, a bottom or base rack accepts the first layer of cables, again arranged in side-by-side manner. Additional racking layers are constructed, in ladder-like fashion, from piece parts comprising stanchion-like supports and interlocking crossmembers. When supported and retained by the assembly, the cables cannot be shifted to prevent crossovers and, also, cable pileup increases due to the stacking, at the same points, of the piece parts. However, this arrangement has proved useful in the past because racking space has been decreased by reducing the interrack separation.
As discussed in more detail shortly, the subject matter of the present invention discloses a cable clamp that has been designed to: (i) mitigate cable pileup in a base rack by aligning and retaining two or more cables in a board-like arrangement to maintain an even level of cables across the rack; (ii) eliminate cable crosses by providing a freely movable cable form to allow stacking and shifting of cable groups; and (iii) reduce space requirements and installation costs by limiting tie-down points to the rack.
Since the subject matter of the present invention involves means for clamping cables, other pertinent prior art relates to clamping devices. Representative of this prior art is the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,806, issued to R. Modeme on Jan. 3, 1967. The Modeme invention relates to a two-part clip for attaching a single cylindrical member to a fixed support. The clip basically comprises a base portion and an attaching portion to draw the cylindrical member to the base; both piece parts are substantially dissimilar in construction. This clip exhibits a number of shortcomings and limitations. Foremost is the inability to bind together more than one member, whether cylindrical, oblong or even square. Also, the clip of Modeme is not adjustable and cannot accommodate a varying size or number of interposed members. Finally, the clip tends to be more expensive and difficult to manufacture due to the dissimilarity in construction of the piece parts.